Holland America mobile site sets sail
August 27, 2008
Holland America cruises on mobile
Premium cruise line Holland America has drifted into the wireless space, with the launch of a mobile-optimized site.
The mobile site at http://www.hollandamerica.com is the cruise line's first move into mobile. The mobile site was launched to cater to consumers during their down times.
The launch of the mobile site really drives at what people are doing today," said Erik Elvejord, director of public relations at Holland America, Seattle. "You can't go anywhere without spotting someone on a phone and I am guilty of that myself.
"We are at a point where people expect constant access," he said.
Holland America is one of the leaders in the cruise industry. Holland America's fleet is comprised of 14 ships, offering over 500 cruises from more than 38 home ports.
Itineraries range from two to 108 days and visit all seven continents, including new Australia, New Zealand and Asia Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico and Europe sailings.
The mobile site serves as accessibility for travel planners. Travelers can check details and plan cruises.
Web surfers are automatically redirected to the new mobile site if they are surfing via their Internet-enabled handsets.
To mobilize the site, Holland America removed images and simplified layouts.
The Holland America Web site at http://www.hollandamerica.com is full of rich media such as images, videos and virtual tours.
The mobile site takes all the rich media out and provides users with basic functionality like ports of call, booked guest information and cruise information.
Cruises cannot be booked via the mobile site. However, consumers can use the click to call action on the mobile site to connect to an operator, who can assist in buying packages.
The most popular areas of the site have been adapted for mobile use.
These include the research tools Cruise and CruiseTour Finder to find travel options and pricing, ports information.
Mobile users can also look up such things as departure port details and directions while in a cab, the ability for past guests to look up their Mariner Society number.
Mobile users with smart phones can choose to view the site with full images and options from their handset.
Holland America has never done any mobile initiatives.
"We haven't done other stuff on mobile yet," Mr. Elvejord said. "But I would not rule it out for the future.
He said that the mobile site is a result of the changing times.
"People are busy," Mr. Elvejord said. "We want to let that person standing in line for coffee access the information they need right then and there.
"If I want to check something out real quick it's almost impossible to get through something that's not specific for mobile," he said. "Our mobile site is a simple, easy-functioning tool for people to use to get the information they want.
"Once we see how people use and interact with the site, I expect we will change a few things to optimize even more for mobile use."